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| Miss China Zhang Zilin won the Miss World 2007 title on Saturday (AFP Photo) |
1 Dec 2007, 2000 hrs IST
,AFPSANYA: Pre-contest favourite Miss China won the Miss World 2007 title in her own country on Saturday, much to the delight of the audience, in front of an estimated two billion viewers around the globe.
Twenty-three-year-old Zhang Zilin was crowned the winner in Sanya, China. Miss Angola came second and Miss Mexico third at the beauty pageant, held on the southern holiday island of Hainan, dubbed China's answer to Hawaii.
Two billion people in 200 countries were expected to tune in to watch the show, which saw Miss China take the crown ahead of 105 of the world's most beautiful and talented women.
The audience in the 2,000-capacity Beauty Crown Theatre, specially built for when Sanya first hosted the event in 2003, roared in delight as Zhang was crowned the winner.
The secretary from Beijing was the pre-contest favourite with British bookmakers, along with Miss Dominican Republic.
At 182 centimetres (six feet), Miss China was also the tallest contestant. "There are 1.3 billion people behind me," Miss China said during the 40-second interview stage of the contest, referring to her country's population.
"If I win I want to become a link between the Olympic Games (in Beijing next year) and the Miss World Organisation."
"I want to use the power and beauty of Miss World to support those in need," she said, speaking throughout in hesitant English, adding a few words in Chinese.
Fireworks exploded above the crown-shaped theatre, where visitors had paid up to 300 US dollars for tickets, after the popular decision was made.
Miss Mexico had also been strongly fancied, although Miss Angola was a surprise top-three finisher.
Contestants were rated on an array of disciplines including physical fitness, style, dress, personality and beauty.
The 106 was whittled down to 16, then five, with hotly tipped Miss Dominican Republic not making the final five.
The 57th edition of the contest was being held on World AIDS Day as organisers wanted the annual showcase of gloss and glitz, seen by critics as a sexist throwback, to help increase awareness of the fight against HIV/AIDS.
To underline their commitment to AIDS awareness, organisers invited former South African President Nelson Mandela's eldest daughter Maki to serve on the panel of nine judges.
The Nobel laureate's son Makgatho died of an AIDS-related illness in 2005, and the family has since been active in the global fight against HIV/AIDS.
While Miss World draws sniggers in many developed countries, it has been linked to deadly violence in the past.
In 2002, it was moved from Nigeria to Britain after more than 200 people died in clashes sparked when a newspaper suggested the Muslim prophet Mohammed would have chosen a wife from the contestants had he been alive.
But all was calm Saturday in Sanya, a tourist resort that boasts palm trees and sugar-white beaches and is largely separated from the more traditional and less affluent urban areas where the local population lives.
Increasingly popular with foreign tourists, particularly Russians, Sanya has hosted the contest for four of the past five years.
Among those countries not represented in Sanya were North Korea and Myanmar. Taiwan also did not have a contestant here, as Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory.
As well as being held on World AIDS Day, Miss World 2007 came a week after Chinese state media reported hotels in Beijing have been ordered to stock condoms in every room in response to a spike in new HIV infections in the capital.
(http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
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